Your guide to upcoming shows and reviews

A young woman feels trapped in life. She feels forced into marrying her boss, but she does it anyways. Eventually, she finds happiness with a new lover, but it doesn’t last. Things quickly get out of hand as she tries to free herself from her situation.

This show is an incredibly immersive experience. It draws the audience in and they can’t help but root for the young woman. The 90 minutes go by in a flash as everyone pays close attention to each and every word.

The original music by Jeffrey Levin perfectly sets the mood. The music ranges from soft and delightful to eerie and spooky to dark and intense.

This play has many similarities to Adding Machine: A Musical, which was produced by The Hypocrites in March of 2016. In both stories, the main character feels stuck, like they are just a small part of a big machine. Also, both productions have a very dark and mysterious feel to them. This is expertly done through a mix of sharp lighting and fantastic sound design. Machinal was written in 1928 and The Adding Machine (which the musical was adapted from) was written in 1923. Fans of Adding Machine: A Musical should definitely see Machinal.

The entire cast is superb. Especially Jonah Winston, who is an impressive presence on stage. At the Lyric Opera, he was both The Maitre’ D in The Merry Widow and Morgan in Longer! Louder! Wagner!